Homemade Lemonade Recipe (2024)

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You only need three ingredients to make this classic homemade Lemonade Recipe. It’s so simple and refreshing–perfect for a summer day! Recipe includes a how-to video.

Homemade Lemonade Recipe (1)

The Easiest, Most Refreshing Lemonade Recipe

I know some of you are going to see this and think, “Do we really need a lemonade recipe?”. Sure lemonade is one of those things that can be thrown together and still taste great (like mac and cheese or French toast); however, having a reliable recipe is still important.

Lemonadeis easy to make, but getting the ratios right is critical. Too much lemon and it’s too tart and undrinkable, and too much water and it’s, well, watered down. What I’m sharing today is a perfectly balanced lemonade recipe that everyone is going to love.

Why You’ll Love My Lemonade Recipe:

  • Super smooth and evenly sweetened, thanks to simple syrup.
  • Can easily be doubled or tripled–perfect for lemonade stands!
  • Not too tart and not too sweet; the balance of lemon and sugar is just right.
  • Pairs well with iced tea to make an Arnold Palmer.

What You Need

Homemade Lemonade Recipe (2)

You only need three simple ingredients to make this lemonade recipe (or two, if you don’t count water!):

  • Lemons. It probably won’t come as a surprise to you that I recommend using freshly squeezed lemons for this recipe (as I do with my lemon cheesecake). You’ll only need 3-4 nice sized lemons to get one cup of juice.
  • Sugar. Plain granulated sugar works just fine, you could also substitute caster sugar!
  • Water. I use tap water because mine doesn’t have a flavor, but if yours has a chlorinated taste use bottled or filtered water.

SAM’S TIP: This isn’t totally necessary, but I like to garnish my homemade lemonade with additional sliced lemons for a bright and sunny look.

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Lemonade

Homemade Lemonade Recipe (3)
  1. Combine 1 cup each of sugar and water and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Set the syrup aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
  3. Combine the cooled syrup and freshly-squeezed lemon juice in a pitcher.
  4. Add the remaining water and stir, then pour over ice and enjoy!

SAM’S TIP: I like to use this tool to juice my lemons; it makes the job so much easier!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use honey to make lemonade?

You could, but keep in mind the honey will impart a different flavor. I’d start with about ½ cup of honey and taste test before adding any more.

Can I make lemonade using bottled lemon juice?

Yes, you can make this lemonade recipe using bottled lemon juice. My brother does this all the time, and the lemonade is still excellent.

What can I add to homemade lemonade?

Fresh mint, rosemary, and lavender are all delicious pairings with homemade lemonade! Or, you could always make my easy strawberry lemonade.

Homemade Lemonade Recipe (4)

You can find me sipping a glass of this on my front porch all summer long 😎

More Summer Recipes:

  • Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
  • Lemon Curd
  • Key Lime Pie
  • Lemon Blueberry Cake

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together!I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe andvideobelow! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me onInstagram, and you can also find me onYouTubeandFacebook

Homemade Lemonade Recipe (5)

Homemade Lemonade Recipe

A simple and refreshinghomemade lemonade recipe! You only need sugar, water, and lemons to make this classic drink recipe. Check out the step-by-step video just below the recipe!

This recipe makes ½ gallon of lemonade but can successfully be doubled!

4.97 from 158 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 8-oz glasses

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

  • 6 cups (1.4 L) water divided
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (236 ml) fresh-squeezed lemon juice¹ seeds removed, pulp may remain

Recommended Equipment

Instructions

  • Combine 1 cup (236ml) water and 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside, allow to cool for 10 minutes.

    6 cups (1.4 L) water, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

  • Pour 1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice into a pitcher. Add sugar/water mixture (simple syrup).

    1 cup (236 ml) fresh-squeezed lemon juice¹

  • Add remaining 5 cups (1180ml) water and stir well. Pour over ice and serve, or transfer to refrigerator and allow to chill several hours before serving.

Notes

¹Lemon Juice

I really recommend fresh squeezed, but my brother often makes this recipe using bottled lemon juice with success.

Nutrition

Serving: 18 oz glass | Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 32mg | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin C: 16.5mg | Calcium: 60mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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Comments

  1. Judy Brown

    Homemade Lemonade Recipe (10)
    It was 8 degrees this morning here in maine and I still decided to make your lemonade. I needed to put some lemon zest in my freezer so I only had 2 lemons to use. I got 1/2 cup of juice out of them so I made 1/2 a batch. Lemonade is easy to make but making the simple syrup made it even easier to mix- no sugar in the bottom of the jar!

    Reply

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Homemade Lemonade Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the formula for lemonade? ›

Start with the proportions of 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, 1 cup of lemon juice. Reduce the sugar amount if you are using Meyer lemons or if you like your lemonade less sweet. (I usually use 3/4 cup of sugar.)

How much lemonade mix for 5 gallons? ›

You can probably fit 3 large batches of concentrate into a 5 gallon container, but I've only tried 2 and then bagged the rest. This method is simple for dispensing. Just pour out 8 cups at a time and add water and ice as directed.

What are the ingredients of lemonade? ›

Ingredients
  • 1 ¾ cups white sugar.
  • 1 cup water.
  • 9 medium lemons, or more as needed.
  • 7 cups ice-cold water.
  • ice as needed.

What is the solution in lemonade? ›

Mixed together, lemon juice, water, and sugar form a solution. A solution is a mixture in which the different kinds of matter are spread out evenly. In lemonade, water is called the solvent. Sugar and lemon juice are solutes.

How many lemons for 1 cup of juice? ›

Fresh Lemon to Lemon Juice Conversions

1 1/4 Lemons = 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice. 2 1/2 Lemons = 1/2 Cup Lemon Juice. 4 Lemons = 3/4 Cup Lemon Juice. 5 1/4 Lemons = 1 Cup Lemon Juice.

What mixture is lemonade? ›

Lemonade is a combination of lemon juice, water, and sugar. The lemonade is an example of a hom*ogeneous mixture. A hom*ogeneous mixture has the same composition throughout.

What are the ingredients in country time lemonade mix? ›

SUGAR, FRUCTOSE, CITRIC ACID, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF MALTODEXTRIN, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, MAGNESIUM OXIDE, SODIUM CITRATE, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), NATURAL FLAVOR, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, YELLOW 5 LAKE, SOY LECITHIN, TOCOPHEROL (PRESERVES FRESHNESS).

How much country time lemonade for 1 gallon? ›

Pour Country Time Drink Mix Level with Line Inside Cap: to 2 quart line twice; add cold water and ice to make 1 gallon (16 cups). Direction: Measure country time mix into cap just to line, or use 2 tablespoons of mix for single serving. Add more or less to taste.

What percentage of lemonade is water? ›

The vast majority of the drink is water, with around 10-20 percent of the remainder being lemon juice. In this case, the average nutritional values for one cup of homemade lemonade would look like the following: 120 calories.

What is Mcdonald's lemonade made of? ›

Squeeze a little bit of summer in every sip with this refreshing, ice-cold classic Lemonade made with real lemon juice, bits of lemon pulp and real cane sugar. There are 320 calories in a large Lemonade. Get one today with McDelivery®* or order one from our full menu in the app with Curbside pickup.

What is American lemonade made of? ›

Mix water, lemon juice and sugar in large pitcher until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled if desired. Serve lemonade over ice. Garnish each serving with a lemon slice and cherry.

Is Chick Fil A lemonade real lemonade? ›

Freshly prepared at each Chick-fil-A Restaurant using simple ingredients: real lemon juice—not from concentrate, sugar, and water. Diet Lemonade is sweetened with Splenda® No Calorie Sweetener.

What is a mixture of sugar and water called? ›

The correct option is D solution. The mixture obtained when solute (sugar) is dissolved in a solvent (water) is known as solution.

Why lemonade and not lemon juice? ›

Lemonade is called “lemonade” and not “lemon juice” like “orange juice”; because it is a mixture of lemon juice, sugar and water, which is why it's called “lemonade.” Orange juice and apple juice mixed with water and sugar could be called orangeade.

What happens when you mix lemon juice and sugar? ›

The process of mixing these substances involves the sugar particles dissolving in the water, while the lemon juice adds flavor and acidity to the solution. The resulting mixture appears uniform, without any separate layers or particles settling at the bottom.

What is the composition of lemonade? ›

It is traditionally a homemade drink using lemon juice, water, and a sweetener such as cane sugar, simple syrup, maple syrup or honey.

What is the chemical formula for lemon juice? ›

Citric Acid is a weak acid with a chemical formula C6H8O7. It can occur in two forms – monohydrate or water-free (anhydrous). This acid is usually found in citrus fruits like lemons, oranges etc. It is considered as a tribasic acid.

How to make lemonade with Sprite? ›

To make the lemonade, stir simple syrup together with lemon juice, cold water, and Sprite. For a sweeter lemonade, use all the simple syrup. For a lemonade that has a little more zing, use half the simple syrup. Serve over ice with lemon slices.

What do you need to make a lemonade stand? ›

To run a successful lemonade stand, you'll need some basic supplies such as cups, a pitcher, a lemon squeezer, and ice. You can also add fun extras like straws, signs, and decorations to attract customers. Of course, you'll also need lemonade mix or lemons and a squeezer. Luckily, it's easy to make.

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